Counter cut-out



Dec. 10, 1929. 1.. J. CLAIRIYS 1,738,816

COUNTER CUT-OUT Filed June 21, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l an ntoz' Lou/s'lqiri D 1929. L. J. CLAIRIS 1,738,816

COUNTER CUT-OUT Filed June 21. 1926 2 Sheets- Shet 2 AMOUNT c(NO- AMOUNTllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllll II II I l anowntozLou/s C/a/ r/s.

Patented Dec. 10, 1929 3' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS JEANCLAIR/IS, OF PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE TABULATING MACHINE COMPANY,OF ENDICOTT, NEW YORK, {L CORPORATION OF. NEW JERSEY COUNTER CUT-OUTApplication filed June 21,

This invention relates to tabulating machines. and more particularly tocounter control circuits and mechanism therefor.

In tabulating machines at present employed it is customary to provide arecord card having perforations in columns to indicate various items anddata with which it is desired to control the machine. The card isdivided into a plurality of groups of columns in order that various datacorresponding to a certain item may be simultaneously entered andprinted, if a printing device is employed, in diiferent columns on therecord sheet. In case a number to be entered into a particular group ofcolumns contains a smaller number of digits than the number of columnsset aside for that entry, certain of the columns "will remain unpunchedand the card area represented thereby is in that particular caseunproductive. However, if means is provided for rendering inoperative acertain portion of an accumulator bank when the columns normallycontrolling that bank are left blank on a particular card, those cardcolumns may be used for operating other deyices with a consequent savingin card surace.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for renderinginoperative a portion of an accumulator bank during the passage of asingle card. 1

'Another objectis to provide means for splitting an accumulator bankwhereby a portion thereof only is operative to receive items from arecord. v

A further object is to provide means for permitting the use of a recordcard to-indicate a greater number of items than that ordinarilyrepresented by the total number of columns thereon.

The above objects, and others which will be apparent as the nature ofthe invention is disclosed, are accomplished in accordance with thepresent invention by splitting the common return connection to theaccumul'ator bank, connecting one ,portion permanently to the line andconnecting the other portion to the line through a contact which iscontrolled by a relay coil included in cir+- cuit with one of the cardreading brushes.

1926. Serial No. 117,368

Means is provided for energizing the relay coil whenever a perforationappears in a certain index position of the selected column and, whenenergized, the contact completing the circuit to the second portion ofthe accumulator bank is broken. After the con- ,tact has been brokenmeans is provided for preventing it from bein closed before thecompletion of a card cyc e.

' Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthis invention have been pointed out with particularity in -the claimsappended hereto, the invention itself as to its objects and advantages,the manner of its organization and the mode of its operation maybebetter understood by referring to the following description taken in,

0rd card used for controlling the tabulator.

Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section of a portion of an accumulatorbank to which this invention applied, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view ofone" portion of an accumulator bank.

Referring to Fig. 1, a motor TM isreme ployed for driving a printingtabulator during tabulating and listing. This motoris controlled by aseries of relays and contacts 10. A reset motor RM is provided fordriving the tabulator during the totaling and reset operations at whichtime a circuit is completed to the motor through a-series of contactsand relays 11. The various details of the'motors and the motor controlcircuits' are disclosed and described in a copending application of G.D. Lake Serial Number 639,153 filed May 15, 1923, and form no part 'ofthe present invention.

The operation of the machine is controlled by perforated record cardswhich are passed successively between upper brushes 12 and lower brushes13. Group indicator bank G1' and group control contacts GO may beconnected in circuit with these brushes, or any particular selectedbrushes, by means of plug art. Brushes 13 are adapted to be i I manentlyto one side ofithe main supply line 21, and the circuit to the otherportion being completed from bus bar 22 to line 21 throu h relay contact23. Whenever con-' tact 3 is closed the entiretabulating' and printingbank is in operative condition ready to receive items from theperforated index card. However, when contact 23 is open,

.a ortion only, in this case one-half} of the ta ulating.bank is inoperative condition.

Any perforations occurring in the index point columns normally operatingthe. other portion of this bank Will'then be of no effect. Theperforations in those columns may therefore be employed to represent adifferent set of items and used to control other mech anism a y Acircuit is completed to relay boil 24, which is adapted to operatecontacts 23, from line 21 to jack 25 which may be plugged to any desiredbrush, cam operated contact 26,

card'lever 27, cam contact 28 and contacts 29 to the other side of themain line 30. *Cam contacts 26 are designed to close at a timecorresponding to a particular index point position on therec'ord card.If at that time brush 12 senses a hole in the record card the circuitabove traced will be completed to relay 24 which will be energized andcontact 23 broken. Although cam contacts 26 may be adjusted to completethe'circuit at any desired index point positionit is desirable to choosean index point position lying outside of the usual range perforated onthe card'to indicate'data to be entered. On a Well known type-ofHollerith card extra positions called the 11 and 12 or X and Y positionsare provided at the top of the card. Consequently a perforation in oneof those two positions may be employed to effect the v counter control.Cam contact 31 opens when contact 26 is closed and prevents ashort-circuit between the two sides ofthe line. When contact 26' is opencontact 31 is closed to complete the circuit to brushes 12 in the usualmanner.

When a hole has been encountered in the 'control position by upper brush12, relay 24 is energized and contact 23 broken, means must now beprovided for holding contact 23 open while the card is passing'lowerbrushes 13 and datais bein entered intothe counter meehanism. One 'nd ofholding device wh1ch maybe employed and which has been illustratechherein is controlled by reset bar 32 which is moved once per card cycleto i release the clutches to'the index wheels of accumulators 15. Resetbar 32 and the arma- I ing wheels. This normally occurs when the.

sensing brushes are at the 12 position on a Hollerith card. Inasmuch ascards are pass ing the upper and lower brushes in synchroni'sm the 12position of a record card will traverse up er brushes 12 at the time thepreceding car is occupying a corresponding po sition under brushes 13vand the counter wheels which have entered the data contained on thepreceding card are being released. If at that time a perforation occursat the 12 position on the card passing the upper brushes, reset bar 32being depressed, relay 24 is energized and contact 23 broken. As resetbar 32 re-assumes its normal position contact 23 is held open while thatrecord card is passing the lower brushes, the contact being closed atthe next reset operation after the card has completely traversed thelower brushes provided a controlling perforation is not present in thefollowing record card. I

The details of construction of reset bar 32, relay 24 and contacts 23are shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Referring to those figures clutches 35controlling counter wheels 36 are released by bars 37 pivoted on resetbar 32in a manner well known'in the art. For a more detailed descriptionof the particular structure and mechanism for operating the reset barand its.

associated clutches reference may be made to the United States Patent toLake No. 1,307,- 740, dated June 24, 1919. a Bent arm 40 is rigidlyattached to reset bar 32 and moves in conjunction therewith. This arm'is posi-- tioned to cooperate with an insulating sec.- tion 41 carriedby the armature of magnet 24 and movable in connection therewith. -.Arm40 prevents movement of the above armature except when reset bar 32 ismoved to the left which occurs during the reset operation once per"card-cycle as heretofore explained. If a circuit is completed throughmagnet 24 at a the end of that cycle when bar 32 is moved to effected byemploying the present invention.

item in this case entitled amount.

The record card illustrated in Fig. 2 has a field of eight columns setaside to print an In case only the right hand four of those columns areemployed the left hand portion of the field would remain blank. The cardshown in Fig. 3 utilized the four left hand columns which wouldotherwise be left blank for the purpose of indicating other data.vPerforation 4:5 in the 12 position or. this card serves to control therelay circuit heretofore described and disconnects the portion of theaccumulator bank normally cooperating with these four columns on therecord card whereby the perfora tions'made therein do not affect theaccumulator bank used for indicating the amount.

' 1 The cards which utilize only four columns for the amount may then besorted out from the rest and other accounting operations deal ing withthe number columns can be performed on these cards.

Although this invention has been shown as applied to particularapparatus operated in a specific manner, it is not to be limited theretobut only in accordance with the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an accounting machine, a bank of accumulator elements, a pluralityof sets of sensing brushes for deriving data from record cards, andmeans controlled by a particular brush of one set for renderinginoperative a portion of said other set during the passage of a recordcard. a

2. An accounting machine normally controlled by perforated record cards,a plurality of sets of brushes for sensing the data entered upon saidcards, an accumulator bank, means connecting said bank with one of saidsets of brushes and means for disconnecting a portion of said bank fromsaid brushes, said last mentioned means being controlled by one of saidsecond sets of brushes.

3. In an accounting machine controlled by perforated record cards, aplurality of sets of sensing brushes for deriving data there-- from, anaccumulator bank, means for connecting said bank with one of said setsof brushes, and a relay .for rendering inoperative, a portion of saidbank said relay being controlled by said second set of brushes inresponse to a perforation in a particular index point position on saidrecord card.

4. In an accounting machine controlled by perforated record cards, aplurality of sets of sensing brushes for deriving data there-' from, anaccumulator bank, means for connecting said bank with one of said setsof brushes, a relay for rendering inoperative a portion of said bank,said relay! being controlled'by said second set of brushes in re-,

sponse to a perforation in a particular" index point position on saidrecord card, and means for maintaining said portion in inoperativeposition during a complete card cycle.

5. In an accounting machine operated in response to perforated recordcards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes, a bank of accumulatorelements, means for connecting said bank to one of said sets of brushes,means for disconnecting a portion of said bank, comprising arelay andarmature,

means controlled by said second set of A brushes for rendering saidrelay operative whereby said contact is broken, and means for holdingsaid contact in an open position for the duration of a cardcycle.

6. In an accounting machine operated in response to perforated recordcards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes, a bank of accumulatorelements, means for connecting said bank to one of said sets of brushes,means for disconnecting a portion of said blank, comprising a relay andarmature, means controlled by said second set of brushes for renderingsaid relay operative whereby said contact is broken, and -means forholding said contact in an open position for the duration of a cardcycle comprising a detent carried on the reset bar of said accumulator.

7. In an accounting machine operated in response to perforated recordcards, a plurality of sets of sensing brushes, a bank of accumulatorelements, means for connecting said bank to one of said sets of brushes,means for disconnecting a portion of said bank comprising a contact, arelay and armature associated therewith for controlling said with saidbar adapted to prevent said armature being moved except when the bar ismoved during a resetting operation whereby said contact is held ineither open or closed position while said record card is traversing saidfirst mentioned set of brushes.

8. In a tabulating machine controlled by 9. In an accounting machine,' abank of accumulator devices, a lurality oi sets of sensing elements foreriving data, from record cards to control the accumulator de-' vices,and means controlled by a particular 0 element of one set for renderinginoperative aportion of said other set 'when the record cardis beingnalyzed.

In testimony whereof I hereto aflix my signature.

' LOUIS JEAN CLAIRIS.

